Crookedstar's Promise/Chapter 4
Chapter description :Stormkit asks his mother Rainflower if she has to leave yet, wanting to tell her a story about a moth he caught, and he wonders why she will not look at him. Rainflower explains that she needs to go hunting, and that she promised to join Rippleclaw's patrol. Oakkit, his brother, says he will stay to hear the story. Stormkit tells him how huge the moth had been, noting to himself how lucky he is to have caught it, having been confined to the medicine den for a moon due to his broken jaw. :As Rainflower exits the den, Brambleberry calls after her. The medicine cat informs her that Stormkit is ready to return to the nursery. The queen's gaze darkens as she asks Brambleberry if there was nothing more she could do. Sharply, Brambleberry replies that he has all his ears and whiskers and can play just like any other kit, demanding what more she wants. Rainflower says she can send Stormkit back to the nursery before she stalks away. :Oakkit, meanwhile, is thrilled by the news, telling Stormkit he needs to get fit before he becomes an apprentice in less than two moons. Brambleberry interjects that Stormkit will have to wait longer than that. She explains that Stormkit is too small to become an apprentice as soon as Oakkit, as he had barely eaten for a moon, and will need to gain more weight before he can be one. Stormkit is dismayed, but Oakkit assures him that he will catch up. Brambleberry agrees with him, adding that Stormkit will be fine, as StarClan is watching over him. Stormkit declares that he will get bigger and stronger and become the best apprentice ever. :Oakkit leads Stormkit out into the clearing, where he is greeted cheerfully by his Clanmates, but Stormkit notices something is wrong. Petalkit and Echomist sound awkward, and Rippleclaw stares towards him from across the clearing. He realizes that, in spite of the cats' fuss over him, none would look directly at his face. Stormkit rushes over to the river and is horrified at the sight of his face, with its twisted jaw, asking what has happened to him. Oakkit tells him that he is lucky to be alive. He explains that Brambleberry thought he would die, and that Shellheart had sat beside him night after night. Stormkit questions about whether Rainflower had done the same, wondering if she does not visit him much because he has become too ugly to look at, and Oakkit tells him that Rainflower is just upset. Feeling guilty, Stormkit apologizes for how much he has hurt his mother, but Oakkit says that it is not his fault. :Oakkit steers his brother back into the camp, and tells him to eat a fish. Stormkit begins to do so, but with his twisted jaw, he finds chewing hard, and food dribbles out of the side of his mouth. As a result, he begins to feel uncomfortable about eating in front of his Clanmates, and Oakkit, realizing this, finds him a spot where he can finish his meal in private. After Stormkit is done eating, Oakkit shows him the training corner he and Echomist's kits have constructed. In one corner of the nursery, the nests have been cleared away and the floor covered in moss, with bulrushes threaded in the wall. Oakkit explains that he and the other kits use it for hunting practice, as they try to jump up to grab the bulrush heads. Stormkit has a go at it, although he misses the bulrush head he is aiming to hit. :Stormkit notices a new nest in the nursery. Confused, he wonders if a new queen has moved in, but Rainflower informs him that he now has his own nest, explaining that he will need his own nest because his injured jaw might cause him to fidget and disturb Oakkit. Stormkit protests that his jaw doesn't hurt anymore and that he won't fidget, but Rainflower says it's still better this way. Shellheart pokes his head in to check on Stormkit, asking how his son was settling back in. Stormkit murmurs that he has his own nest now. Narrowing his eyes, he asks Oakkit if he has his own nest as well, but Oakkit merely looks at his paws. Growling, Shellheart requests to speak with Rainflower outside. :Out of the nursery, Rainflower defends her decision, stating that Stormkit has to grow up eventually, but Shellheart points out angrily that Oakkit was allowed to stay in her nest. Shellheart adds that she was at least still calling him Stormkit, but Rainflower replies that she would call him that until Hailstar formally changed Stormkit's name. Furious, Shellheart demands to know if she is still going to rename him Crookedkit, and Rainflower responds that it will suit him. Shellheart asks her if she thinks the name is cruel, but Rainflower retorts that the accident would have never happened if he'd stayed in camp, continuing that he wouldn't be the ugly mess he was now, and that she shouldn't have to deal with it. When Shellheart questions how Stormkit must feel, she argues that he will get used to it. Outraged, Shellheart demands what she means he will get used to: being scarred for life, being rejected by his mother, or his new name. He tells Rainflower that if she goes ahead with the name changing ceremony, he will no longer be her mate, and Rainflower replies that is fine. :Meanwhile, Stormkit is appalled as he overhears the conversation; he is horrified at Rainflower's plan to change his name, and he feels sick at her cold tone of voice. He begins to sob as he realizes that Rainflower blames him for the accident, though Echomist tries to comfort him. Stormkit rushes out to his parents, pleading them not to fight because of him. Shellheart growls that it was not because of him, that it was because of Rainflower. :Rainflower stalks towards Hailstar's den as Brambleberry pads into the clearing. As she realizes what Rainflower is going to do, she reassures Stormkit that even with his new name, he will still have the heart of a warrior. She jokes that she should be renamed Swallowherb, because she makes cats swallow herbs, and Stormkit forces a laugh. Hailstar and Rainflower emerge from the leader's den, and Hailstar calls a Clan meeting. The Clan is confused at the meetings' purpose, the cats noting that none of the kits are old enough to be apprenticed. Stormkit tries to catch Rainflower's gaze but she will not look at him. :Hailstar summons Stormkit to the front, performing the ceremony to change his name to Crookedkit, though he comments that is sorry for what Stormkit had suffered and that his new name described only Stormkit's face and not his heart. Hailstar tells him to bear his name bravely as a kit and nobly as a warrior. :The Clan is shocked at the name change. Confused, Stormkit thinks that his name is Stormkit, because he was born in a storm, wondering how he will ever be Stormstar now. Suddenly, he spots an orange-and-white she-cat, the same who had spoken to him the day of his accident. He realizes that she has been sent to remind him of the great destiny she had promised him. Crookedkit accepts his new name, and the strange she-cat alone is the only cat who meets his gaze. Realizing that she believes in him, he feels a rush of hope, and repeats that he is Crookedkit. Characters Major }} Minor *Oakkit *Brambleberry *Beetlekit *Petalkit *Volekit *Mudfur *Cedarpelt *Shellheart *Hailstar *Birdsong *Tanglewhisker *Fallowtail *Softpaw *Echomist *Rippleclaw *Troutclaw *Shimmerpelt *Whitepaw *Ottersplash *Mapleshade (Unnamed) }} Important events Ceremonies Errors *Mapleshade is mistakenly described as orange-and-white. Notes and references Category:Crookedstar's Promise Category:Chapter subpages Category:Super Edition arc